Comments on Sweet Amandine: My middle name

We have been in love with Biscoff and similar bisc...

2012-02-01T00:45:07.460-05:00

We have been in love with Biscoff and similar biscuits since we began going to Ireland for my husband's work at least 10 years ago! They were always with the tea setup left in the B&B rooms. You could also get them at Bewley's, which had their own brand, but has since, (sadly) closed.
Now Biscoff biscuits are actually available at local grocery stores in NJ.
I will definitely try any recipe with a similarity to those wonderful cookies. :)

Jess, this is a real winner. Just made it and my h...

2011-09-23T02:21:18.958-04:00

Jess, this is a real winner. Just made it and my husband and I have wolfed down half the cake in one sitting (nota bene: after dinner!). After reading this post and your reference to the chocolate chip pecan cake I've decided to add a cup of roasted chopped pecans to the cake, some on top as a crunchy topping and we really like it this way. Thanks again for posting this recipe. Fingers crossed that all is well with the three of you!

Looks delicious! I've been on a cinnamon kick ...

2011-08-25T13:03:46.057-04:00

Looks delicious! I've been on a cinnamon kick lately,too- putting it in everything from homemade yogurt to marinades and barbecue sauces. Usually, my go-to whole wheat bread of choice is a chewy zucchini loaf. Perhaps I'll mix it up and try your cinnamon take! Thanks for the post :)

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What a sweet blog! I just found it and I simply ha...

2011-08-01T07:05:38.878-04:00

What a sweet blog! I just found it and I simply have to try this cake. Looks delicious and anything with a 'caramel-like' flavour is an absolute must!

Jess - the cake was a HUGE hit - with adults and c...

2011-07-31T09:51:54.838-04:00

Jess - the cake was a HUGE hit - with adults and children alike. I agree with you that it would be better with WW flour - it was tasty with the white WW flour, but I felt like it needed more depth. I'll definitely try it soon with WW flour...

a nice cake! lovely!

2011-07-22T09:32:06.501-04:00

a nice cake! lovely!

Oof, so sorry, Molly. I feel your pain. I've...

2011-07-18T22:19:04.603-04:00

Oof, so sorry, Molly. I feel your pain. I've been humming the whole wheat cinnamon snacking cake song for weeks now. Just wait until you bake the thing. It gets worse.

Anya - You and the cake both, I think.

Yep, Madeleine, those Delta cookies are speculoos. Thanks so much for speaking up. I should have mentioned it! Does Belgium have a national cake, too? If not, maybe this cake could be it. You know, in honor of the cookie...

Hi, Sally. It's my pleasure to discuss all of this stuff with you here! I've only baked with white whole wheat flour once before. I swapped it in for the whole wheat flour in a bread recipe, and while it came out beautifully, I missed the heartier flavor and texture. I'm going to stick by my earlier response and say that, yes, I think white whole wheat flour will work for this recipe. But you'll lose some of the wheaty-ness that helps define the cake. Try it, if you're so inclined, and let me know how it goes. (And then maybe try it with the "regular" whole wheat flour one day, too. It's wonderful!)

Jess - thanks so much for the feedback on the AP f...

2011-07-18T20:27:02.274-04:00

Jess - thanks so much for the feedback on the AP flour. It was too hot here this weekend to bake, so no go... But I just bought some white whole wheat flour - would that work for this cake? Thanks for being so patient with my questions :)

Looks delicious! As I'm half Flemish, I have t...

2011-07-18T10:28:39.820-04:00

Looks delicious!
As I'm half Flemish, I have to speak up for speculoos (which is what the cookies on Delta are). They are the national cookie of Belgium and are associated with the feast of St. Nicholas in December. Love these cookies, excited to try the recipe!

Oh Jess, it's this cake. It's very, very g...

2011-07-18T08:19:38.675-04:00

Oh Jess, it's this cake. It's very, very good! :)

You do realize that I've been singing a bastar...

2011-07-17T22:07:41.489-04:00

You do realize that I've been singing a bastardized (pardon my french) version of Pony Boy all week now, yes?

That this song is on our nightly lullaby queue?
And that I can no longer sing along with the proper lyrics?? And that my children look at me as though I've gone completely off?

Which probably means I'll just have to get around to baking this. As if it's a burden.

Happy third to you, Jess. It's a good one.

Prune-y! YES! That's brilliant, Anya. I kno...

2011-07-17T21:42:23.502-04:00

Prune-y! YES! That's brilliant, Anya. I know just what you mean. Like, in a buttery, stewed prune kind of way, right? You just made my night with that description. Thank you! And I love the idea of making this cake with browned butter. You're good. Very, very good.

Hi Jess, Made the cake yesterday. It.Is.Wonderful...

2011-07-17T16:27:39.085-04:00

Hi Jess,

Made the cake yesterday. It.Is.Wonderful. And it is even more so the next day, when all the flavors sink in further into the crumb, and the cinnamon takes on a headier note, almost prune-y. The cake is a keeper.

I'm thinking of making it with browned butter next time. Overboard? :)

Thanks again for posting the recipe!

Hi, Sally. I hope I'm not too late to be help...

2011-07-17T07:19:48.787-04:00

Hi, Sally. I hope I'm not too late to be helpful here! I was away from my computer yesterday and I'm just now seeing your question. As I mentioned, this snacking cake appears in Clark's book as a variation on a recipe for something called chocolate chip pecan loaf cake. (Back in September, The Amateur Gourmet posted that recipe here, if you'd like to take a look.) The chocolate chip pecan loaf cake contains only all-purpose flour (1 3/4 c.), so I would assume that the snacking cake would also work with white flour only. The thing is, I have a feeling that it will be a noticeably different cake without the whole wheat flavor and texture. Not bad, just different. I say, go for it. If you do, I'd love it if you would report back!

And thank you for the congratulations. Yes, she is constantly on the move in there. It's the best. And the second trimester for you! That's wonderful, Sally. I hope you're feeling well.

Good morning, Linda. You know how to start the day off right! Enjoy the cakes, and happy Sunday to you.

me again…early sunday...i purchased the king arthu...

2011-07-17T06:41:55.322-04:00

me again…early sunday...i purchased the king arthur flour bake & give mini loaf pans & they are nestled in my oven coveting your w/w cinnamon snacking batter…glad you noted to keep stirring the batter after the melted butter additions!
i went back to smitten kitchen to review deb's cake & comments. thanks.
have a great sunday…mine is off to an awesome start with a wonderful aroma from the oven!!

Jess, congratulations on entering your 3rd trimest...

2011-07-16T07:26:15.390-04:00

Jess, congratulations on entering your 3rd trimester! A huge milestone (viability!) and hopefully you're feeling some great baby movement. I've officially entered my 2nd and am thrilled.

Question for you - would this be as tasty w/o the whole wheat flour? I don't have any in the house but would love to make this with my daughter... Thanks!

Thanks so much, Robin. Not that I have any experi...

2011-07-15T20:30:48.341-04:00

Thanks so much, Robin. Not that I have any experience with this sort of thing (yet!), but I think that this cake is the perfect post-baby-bedtime bake. It comes together in no time, and you can make the whole thing by hand, so there's no need to turn on a noisy mixer. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Hi, Ashley, and welcome! I'm so glad you found us here. Thank you for your kind words. I just clicked over to your site and it looks like I'm the one who has some digging around in archives to do. Lucky me!

Julia - Yes, exactly! Those words immediately drew me in. "Snacking cake, snacking cake, snacking cake." I could say it out loud all day. Very happy to have you here. Thanks for piping up to say hello!

Ha ha! Yep, Sasa, I think you're right. This cake is one for the Hangries. For sure.

Hi, Linda. I also marked that rhubarb cake, but I haven't yet given it a go. As for the blood orange olive oil cake, I think that Deb over at Smitten Kitchen posted about it a while back, and that it was met with many cheers.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

glancing through "in the kitchen with…."...

2011-07-15T08:16:15.825-04:00

glancing through "in the kitchen with…." i found MC's rhubarb "big crumb" coffee cake intriguing…& certainly her writings that led to that recipe…& MC's blood orange olive oil cake is one i will give a try…mini style... as a shout out to SA's olive oil citrus cake…which is a staple in my repertoire…love it jess!

Snacking cake sounds like a friend to all the hang...

2011-07-14T04:39:54.759-04:00

Snacking cake sounds like a friend to all the hangry people of the world. I am an inveterate snacker and I like anything that caters to my needs. I see snacking cake, and the accompanying songs (I'm also a keen singer of nonsense) in my future.

So I have this cookbook! And I was taken by the re...

2011-07-13T11:16:21.885-04:00

So I have this cookbook! And I was taken by the recipe title because I am strangely obsessed with the words 'SNACKING CAKE'. But I have yet to make it! Then I saw your post. Clearly the universe is giving me a sign! I love yo blog BTW, I recently discovered it!

Third trimester?! Glorious. I'm so happy to h...

2011-07-11T23:28:22.495-04:00

Third trimester?! Glorious.
I'm so happy to have landed on your blog tonight. Currently I'm sitting down in a quiet house that is usually punctuated with loud shrieks from three little ones running amok. They are sleeping now and in this quietness I've found peace and rest in your blog and this is only the first post I've read. Looking forward to reading more from you tonight as I scour the archives.

Oh pregnancy snacking. I sort of miss the freedom ...

2011-07-11T19:14:22.171-04:00

Oh pregnancy snacking. I sort of miss the freedom of that, but NOT the heartburn. I feel you on that. This cake looks wonderful. I'm marking it. Maybe tonight after the wee one sleeps my hands will start the kitchen dance. We'll see.

And, yes, I've said this before. I'm so delighted for you! xo

Hi, all. I hope your week is off to a great start...

2011-07-11T18:44:54.132-04:00

Hi, all. I hope your week is off to a great start.

First of all, Luisa, if you're reading this, the last message in my reply a dozen comments up was intended for you! I just forgot to type your name... Whoops! Sorry, friend.

Michele - I hope by now that craving is history.

Sara - I know, right? I love that the brown sugar gets to shine in this cake. And thanks for your congratulations. The time has really flown...

You've converted me, Linda!

art and lemons - Happy trails to you! I've packed up this cake for several departing visitors over the last few weeks, and rumor has it that it's quite satisfying mid-flight or mid-bus ride.

Miss T - Ha! You know what, why not? If my "meals" can take the form of a few measly bites here and there, then surely we can play a little fast and loose in the other direction, too. So sure, it's still a snack. A big, fat, whopping snack.

Thanks so much for your kind words, Sarah. I appreciate it!

Meg - Yep, those cookies! I shamelessly asked our flight attendant for a second pack for the road. So good!

Congratulations on your new career, Heather. How exciting! I imagine it's wonderfully rewarding -- and challenging. About that smoothie: Post-worthy, indeed! See here, from a couple of years back.

You'll be a natural, then, Megan! Yes, she's a dancer, alright. But I get the feeling she could learn a thing or two from you. xo!

Tiki - I MADE THEM. My sister was visiting over the weekend, and after I responded to your comment on Friday morning, we made the dough, scooped it onto sheets, and left it to chill. We baked off a few on Saturday night, and we were just... speechless. What the WHAT?!. I have never in my life had a cookie like that. Never.

Thanks so much, Anya. I think you'll like this cake. And the book, too! Can't wait to see what you bake from it.

megcjones - There are so many gems in there. I've only made my way through a few of the recipes I flagged, but every one of them has been a winner. Happy baking!

yum, this sounds delicious. i've had clark'...

2011-07-11T15:29:46.285-04:00

yum, this sounds delicious. i've had clark's book on my shelf for awhile and flip through it often, but haven't made time to actually make any of the recipes yet - gotta get to it. i just love cinnamon - this looks amazing.